"Buddy, the Elf...What's Your Favorite Color?!"

I have the best brother in the whole world. Seriously. While I was in NYC last week (I stayed Thursday and Friday nights for fun, before flying back to LA on Saturday) he surprised me with tickets to see Elf, The Broadway Musical on Friday night!! As a crazy Elf (the movie) fanatic, I am embarrassed to say that I didn't even know they had made it into a Broadway show for this year. My bad. Regardless, he knew, and he got us AMAZING seats to go see it.


It was fantastic...just fantastic!! Anyone that loves the movie and loves musicals and loves Christmas, will most definitely love this show. I was curious what kinds of songs they would write to make it a musical and if they'd be any good....no worries. They were fabulous. I'm just hoping I can get the soundtrack on CD sometime real soon!

Of course I HAD to have this tshirt...combining two of my favorite things in the whole wide world...Elf and New York City.

I think I was already in the Christmas spirit before Friday night, or was at least starting to be. But after seeing Elf, I most definitely am now!! And then walking over to Rockefeller Center afterward to see the 2010 Christmas tree didn't hurt either. (Don't I look tiny standing next to it?!)

It won't be lit for another week and a half yet (hence all the scaffolding still around it as they string the thousands and thousands of lights)...but this incredibly lucky girl will be working in NYC for most of December! And I will definitely be there on Wednesday 12/1 when this beautiful tree is lit for the first time...and I can't wait!! I've been to the Rockefeller tree lighting twice before...but I'm no less excited for this year's. It never gets old. Never.

Things I Have Found Entertaining This Week

Just 3 days so far back in New York City, and there have been sooooooo many things that have entertained me enormously already. Most I have experienced before many, many times...but even so, nothing in this city ever gets old!

1. Constant horn-honking everywhere. It took no more than 30 seconds after stepping out the doors of JFK airport to get hit in the face with it.
2. Cab driver who doesn't really speak English...but makes up for it with wild hand gestures...annnnnnd a Taylor Swift CD case sitting on his front seat.
3. Abundance of pizza and bagels available to me. Any day, any time, any part of the city. (Sorry, Dr. Atkins...this place is not for you)
4. Riding the subway! In 5 inch stilettos....and falling into 4 people when we hit a curve in the tracks. (Thank you, strangers, for being pretty nice about me smashing into you)
5. One of my favorite games ever - "Rat Spotting" - peering over the edge of the subway platforms to try and see who can spot the first rat, the fastest rat, the biggest rat, etc.
6. Delicious coffee EVERYWHERE. A caffeine junkie's dreamland.
7. Views of the Empire State Building from all over the island...and at night, trying to determine why it is whatever color it is that evening. The colors always have a meaning. Tonight it was all purple. (MP looked it up online and discovered that it was for the March of Dimes and Prematurity Awareness Day...whatever that is)
8. Damaging beautiful high heels (and sometimes getting injured) falling into the grates on the sidewalks.
9. Tiny, little dogs...wearing jewelry...and Louis Vuitton collars...and drinking sparkling water.
10. People being rude to each other for no reason. For example, this morning at Starbucks...some lady takes my eggnog latte before I can grab it, immediately drinks out of it, realizes it's not what she ordered (not even the same size drink!), takes it back, and then seems to think it's my fault. Really?!
11. The amazing energy here. In the coffee shops. In the delis. Walking down every street. On the subway. It's hard to put into words, but NYC has the most incredible energy about it. You can't get that feeling anywhere else in the world.

I'm excited to have 2 and 1/2 more days here yet (and then to possibly come back again pretty soon!)...just imagine what else can happen yet...I mean, I haven't even seen any celebrities yet, or had any near run-ins with bike food delivery boys!

I Heart NYC

Is it strange that I still get CRAZY excited anytime I find out I'm going to New York City? I mean, I lived there for 4 and 1/2 years, experienced a ton, loved pretty much everything about that magical island, but the Big Apple and I definitely had our ups and downs ("$2.50 for one yogurt?! Really NYC?! Really?!?!") I guess I would have thought that my childlike excitement would have died down after living there for so long...that is, however, extremely false.

I woke up early this morning to a chain of totally unexpected emails - yes, I read emails on my Blackberry as soon as I wake up...while still in bed...sometimes barely half awake - that completely changed my week next week. I was originally thinking I'd get to work from home (hooray for catching up on all the work I can't get to while on the road!)...then I was planning to head to Texas to provide training for work (yeehaw!)...and then this morning I found out I'm now heading to NYC instead (the fair city that I love more than words can say!). Pure craziness. But instead of being stressed about a last minute change, or the long flights back and forth, I just felt pure excitement to get back to my dear NYC.

I guess NYC will just always have a special place in my heart. I dreamt of living there from a pretty early age (around 12, I believe), and eventually just knew that I absolutely HAD to live there. As soon as humanly possible. And I did it - I landed a great job, and moved from Wisconsin to the Upper West Side of Manhattan just a short 11 days after graduating from college. I didn't waste any time. And it was amazing. I knew from the moment my moving truck crossed the bridge to the island of my dreams (I'll be forever grateful to my dad for driving me out there), I was where I belonged. My own little piece of Heaven.

I don't know what the future holds...maybe I'll get to live in NYC again (which would be incredible). But even if I don't, I think I'll always get a twinkle in my eye when I hear anything about my favorite place in the world, and especially when I hear that I'm going back. Oh NYC...I love you dearly...and always will.

Sick AGAIN! Or Maybe Sick Still...Who Knows...

Soooooo, a short 6 weeks after a trip to an Urgent Care in North Carolina (and a diagnosis of bad sinus infection and walking pneumonia...and a round of antibiotics), I found myself in a walk-in clinic outside of Chicago yesterday. Diagnosis from there? Bad case of bronchitis...and another round of (different and longer) antibiotics. And also Tylenol with codeine. AND more chest xrays. Are you kidding me with this?! What in the world is wrong with me? I am not usually one to get sick very often, but I've had a rough couple of months.

I had to spend all day yesterday then and today cooped up in my hotel room at the Q Center as a result. Not fun. Anyone who has ever been sick on the road knows how yucky that can be. Luckily I have an amazing coworker who stepped in for me (to teach my class here) last minute, for both days, so I was able to rest a little easier knowing that my class wasn't totally left out to dry. I owe her big time. And on top of that, she and the class sent this up to my room yesterday:
It was very unnecessary, but incredibly appreciated! It really made my day. It's hard sitting in a hotel room by yourself, feeling sick, and not being able to do anything or go anywhere. Something like this can make a huge difference for a sicky like me! Thank you so much KS and Oct. 2010 class...you guys rock.

So now I need to get myself better...and hopefully for real this time. The doctor yesterday seemed to think it was a possibility that I just never got fully better from when I was sick 6 weeks ago. I think he especially thought so once I told him about all my travels back and forth across the country since then. Fair enough. I know I'm just not getting anywhere near enough rest these days. I'm just not sure how to remedy that for myself! I fly twice a week, spend all week on the road in hotels, and then try to cram all my Cali fun at home into my weekends. Sleep would fit where in there?? That is the question. Now, who's got the answer for me? I'm all ears.